Christchurch sailors celebrate winning national Club of the Year title

CHRISTCHURCH Sailing Club have been crowned the 2020 RYA and Yachts & Yachting Club of the Year.

The Dorset-based club was one of 10 finalists selected by the RYA Awards Panel and ultimately crowned by a public vote. The coveted trophy was presented by British Sailing Team’s Arran Holman at the RYA Dinghy Show earlier this month.

Christchurch Sailing Club were awarded for their strong family ethos and a wide variety of sailing and social activities.

Their achievements included the investment of a new training room enabling members to develop their qualifications, while the refurbishment of their female changing rooms will also support the growth of the ladies’ fleet.

A new lift and accessible toilet with baby changing facilities helps get people of all ages and abilities out on the water, and a Junior Sponsorship Scheme sees young members participate in events around the world.

Jim Atkins, commodore at Christchurch SC, said: “We absolutely didn’t expect to win. It’s just fantastic as it’s the culmination of a lot of effort. It’s a tremendous honour for us and our members, and we look forward to getting back and celebrating with them."

RYA director of sport development Alistair Dickson said: “A huge congratulations to Christchurch Sailing Club. Their hard work on major facility developments has been really impressive, and the panel were really impressed with their strong community spirit.

“Thank you to RS Sailing and all of the RYA Reward partners that have contributed to the prize packages, which have been very much appreciated by all of the finalists.

"Thank you to all those who voted, it’s always really difficult to choose one club from these inspirational finalists.”